My Philosophy

This will be a short and fun post! 

Over the past few months, I have been developing a personal philosophy of training for climbing. I have found it helpful to distill my ideas about how I learn best into a list.

My Philosophy of Training for Climbing:

  • No time should be wasted. If you’re are climbing, climb. If you’re working out, work out. 
  • To climb hard, one must climb hard. A serious climber should spend the majority of their time climbing hard. If you’re not falling, you’re probably not climbing hard enough.
  • Technique over raw strength. Generally speaking, I believe it is healthier, more stylish, and – from a performance standpoint – more efficient to practice good technique than to muscle up everything one sees. By good technique I mean using skills like footwork, precise hand placement, and leg utilization (among others) to save energy and minimize the chance of a careless error.
  • Movement every day. I have found it particularly helpful to be active and stimulate the muscles every day. This aids in recovery and keeps me from going insane. 
  • Build on the basics. I find that I value (climbing-specific) drills and workouts that have been practiced for years and make sense. When I preform these simple protocols with perfect form, I find that I really get useful results, because of the protocol’s years of proven usefulness.
I just wanted to share some of my emerging “training philosophy” with you, my reader, because this list has really helped me and I hope it might help others too. There are many books and ideas out in the world that talk about how to maximize one’s climbing performance, but at the end of the day the most enjoyable, sustainable, and productive method for you has to be adapted to the way you learn best. 


Location: Alexandria, VA, USA

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